THE ELECTION

It becomes well night impossible to ignore anti-Harper criticism when it comes from a former PC cabinet minister. Also, Andrew Coyne of Maclean’s in his column, defended Dion’s Carbon Tax Plan as superior to the Conservative one, and no one can accuse Coyne (or Maclean’s) of being a Liberal hack. The biggest problem for Dion has been a rather poorly presented plan –the Carbon tax is a rather difficult concept and too easily associated with the negative word TAXATION. This allowed Harper to attack it as an expensive tax, and ignoring the fact that his cap & trade plan is no less expensive; in fact more so, according to Andrew Coyne & co.The Conservative criticism of Dion’s performance in the CBC interview with Peter Mansbridge recalls the PC’s ridicule of Jean Chretien’s drooping lip. It backfired severely, as I think this one, to a lesser degree, will also backfire, and in fact, help Dion.
Let me now make a confession: I was a card carrying Conservative when Harper & Jim Flaherty abruptly about-faced and announced the tax on Income Trusts. Overnight, I lost 35% of my investment –an investment that was monies from the sale of my small business and was intended to supplement my Canada Pension in my retirement, as I had no Company pension. This after Harper solemnly pledged to not tax “senior’s nest egg”! One can argue that all politicians overpromise and then break promises – following the dictum that a politician’s has to do what is needed to be elected –which apparently includes lying. Jean Chretien promised to cancel the GST and NAFTA, and then recanted. So did Pierre Trudeau regarding taxes and deficits. However, theirs were a general promise, applying to everyone. What Harper’s did, was punish a small minority of citizens, seniors and their retirement savings. They were not major constituency, and not as important as the large corporations putting pressure on him to “level the playing field”. It was a cynical and heartless decision!Then he retracted his promise to his fellow Conservative in Newfoundland, Danny Williams. And finally, he broke his on election law. This shows a cynicism and opportunism worthy of the Jesuits postulatum that the end justifies the means, or as Ignatius Loyola stated in the Thirteenth Rule: To be right in everything, we ought always to hold that the white which I see, is black, if the Hierarchical Church so decides it.
I have come to believe something that I have never before believed about any Canadian party leader: that Harper is a clever, pragmatic, callous and calculating scoundrel, who if in a majority position would try to remake Canada in his right-wing, reactionary image.